The Indian government has mapped 20 nations where revenue-sapped domestic spacetech startups can offer their services, Mint reported, citing unidentified people aware of the development.
The countries were shortlisted by government-backed nodal space regulator Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (In-Space), along with the ministry of external affairs, following a worldwide survey, the report said, without specifying the countries on the list.
The survey considered requests from countries across geographies that require space technology such as satellite imagery for planning and development, the report said, while adding that countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), South America, Eastern Europe and South-East Asia being the expansion markets.
While the 20 countries on the list are not big economies with significant budget for space projects, they had approached India for space applications related to agriculture, administrative planning, wildlife and forestry.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is expected to continue engaging with larger economies and pass on such opportunities to the private sector, the report said, citing a person aware of the development.
The department of space will offer space startups guidance on their international expansion plans, the report added.
The move comes as the Indian government evaluates the revenue challenges facing the country’s private space startups.
Since the liberalization of the sector in 2020, these startups have had the potential to become commercially successful. However, despite the high level of technical expertise required in the space industry, most Indian space startups are still in the early stages of technology demonstration and have not yet achieved significant revenue generation.
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